Upson said: "We have had a lot of strong applicants for the job and we thank people for showing so much interest.

"We have gone for Jon because we thought it was right to have a local man in charge. He has played for the club and was also in charge of our youth section for a year before stepping up into more senior management.

"I was always impressed with how Jon worked with our younger players and I have also seen how well he has done at Scole.

"We are delighted to have him in charge and it is the start of a new era for the club. Hopefully we can push on now and have a good end to the season."

*For more on the appointment of Abbott, see this week's Express print edition.